Dubai is located in the northeastern portion of the United Arab Emirates. It has border with two other UAE Emirates - Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as well as an international border with the Sultanate of Oman. The entire western shoreline of Dubai borders with the Persian Gulf.

Dubai is about 16m above sea level. It is spread over approximately 4000 square kilometers. Dubai is situated in the middle of the Desert safari in Dubai. However, its topography and geography differ significantly from the southern regions of the United Arab Emirates. A large portion of the Dubai terrain is composed of dessert sand made of finely crushed shells and corals in contrast to the deserts of gravel that cover large areas further towards the south. The sand dunes that are larger in the east of Dubai are characterized by a red tint to the sand because of the large amount of iron oxide.

At the bottom of the Hajar Mountains, which border Dubai with Hatta or Oman and Oman, is the flat and sandy desert to the west of Dubai. These rocky mountains offer an unforgiving landscape for the region, with some over 1,000 metres high. Even though the Dubai geography isn't populated by elements of oasis and rivers however, there are waterholes and gorges that are located at the base of these mountains which could be flooded following heavy rains.

The vast expanse of sand dunes in the southern part of Dubai is known as "The Empty Quarter" and is also known as a desert. In accordance to industry experts, Dubai is free of charge from any tsunamis or seismic activity primarily due to the fact that the waters of the Persian Gulf are quite shallow.

The Dubai desert has a wide variety of wild grasses as well as date palm trees. Dubai is home to many indigenous trees, such as the Neem as well as the date palm. There's also an abundance of imported plants, such as the eucalyptus and Neem. Many of these plants are now grown fully in Dubai's gardens and parks.

The popular Dubai creek flows from northeast southwest across the city of Dubai. The east part of the Dubai that is known as the "old section of town" is Deira is located near Sharjah an Emirate in the UAE. The east and west areas of Dubai are connected through the Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge and Al Shindagha tunnel which all connect to the Dubai Creek.